Amusement apparatus.



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AMUSEMENT APPARATUS., APPLICATION run) we. a. 1901.

PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908.

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PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908.

H. N. RIDGWA Y; AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG 3,1907.

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PATENT-ED MAR. 31, 1908.

H. N. RIDGWAY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS. AiFLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

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HERBERT N. RIDGWAY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 3, 1907.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Serial No. 386,863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT N. RIDG- WAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to that type of amusement apparatus which is designed to furnish surprises to persons participating in the use of it. In the particular embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, this surprise is furnished by arranging for delivering a jet of air toward oragainst a person, the arrangement being such that the jet of air can be delivered at will.

In carrying out my invention, I propose to arrange a plurality of concealed air jets at a place or places where people are apt to congregate, or at a point where people pass in going from one location to another, and provide for delivering a jet of air from any one of the air jets at the will of the operator. Since the air jets are concealed, the persons congregating or moving about near them are entirely unaware of their presence and part of the amusement is afiorded by watching the expressions on the faces of the people when they suddenly receive from some unknown source a blast of air.

I will first describe some embodiments of my invention and then point out the novel features thereof in the claims, it being understood that the embodiments herein shown have been selected merely for the purpose of illustrating the principle of the invention and not for the purpose of illustrating all forms in which the invention may be embodied.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 shows another embodiment thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail of the valve controlling the supply of air to the air jet; Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention in which a plurality of differently-placed air jets are used; Fig. 5 is a section on the line :r9c, Fig. 4, showing one manner of concealing the air jets. Fig. 6 is a section through a valve such as is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing more clearly the arrangement of concealed air jets shown in Fig. 4, and also showing an observation tower from which all the various air jets may be observed.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 3 is an air jet or nozzle connected to a pi e 4 that leads to a source of air supply 5, w 'ch source is herein shown as a reservoir or tank adapted to contain air under considerable pressure. The air may be supplied to the tank under pressure by any suitable means, as, for instance, by means of an air pump 6 which is eonnected to the tank by a pipe 7. Situated in the pipe 4 is a valve 8 which is adapted to be manually controlled and which in turn controls the supply of air to the jet 3. In arranging the air jet to furnish the surprise to a person or persons, I propose to conceal it in some suitable way so that a person will be entirely unaware of its presence and to arrange the eduction aperture of the nozzle so that a blast of air from the nozzle will be delivered on to a person near it.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated the nozzle as situated beneath the floor 9 over which persons pass in traversing from one location to another, said nozzle being arranged to deliver a jet of air through an aperture in the floor. With such an arrangement by properly manipulating the valve 8 an air blast may be delivered from the nozzle 3 at the time when a person is unsuspectingly passing over said nozzle and thus said person may be given a surprise. In Fig. 1I have shown said nozzle 3 as arranged beneath the floor at the top of a flight of steps 10 where a person will naturally pause a moment to rest and catch his breath, but it is not essential to my invention that the jet be placed in this location, as it may be placed in any position so long as it is properly concealed from view.

In Figs. 4 and 7 I have shown different ways in which the air jets may be placed without, however, attempting to exhaust all locations. In said figure one air jet 3 is placed beneath the floor 9 at the top of the steps or stairs 10, as shown in Fig. 1. Another air jet 3 maybe placed behind a partition 1 1 with the end of the jet arranged to deliver air through an aperture in the partition, see Fig. 5, and, asshown in Figs. 4 and 7, this nozzle 3 is arranged to be directed against the head of a person passing along near the partition, whereby air delivered from said nozzle will blow a persons hat ofl. The nozzle 3 is connected to the reservoir 5 by means of a suitable pipe 4 which has therein a valve 8 by which the delivery of air through the nozzle 3 can be controlled. I have also shown in Figs. 4 and 7 another air jet nozzle 8 which is concealed behind a settle or settee 111 and is in a position to direct a current of air against the neck or head of a person seated on the settee. This nozzle 3 is connected to the reservoir 5 by a pipe 1* and a valve 8 is also employed in said pipe for controlling the delivery of air to the nozzle 3*. I have also shown a nozzle 3 which is concealed in the hand rail 12 and which is arranged to deliver air into the faces of persons standing in front of the handrail and leaning over it. This nozzle 3 may also be connected to the reservoir by a pipe 4 and this pipe will have therein a suitable valve 8 for controlling the supply of air to the nozzle. With the arrangement last described the pipe 4 has all the appearance of being one of the standards 13 on which the hand rail 12 is supported, and. an unsuspecting person will be very much surprised to receive the air blast delivered from the nozzle 3". I have also shown at 3 another concealed nozzle which is located behind a partition or wall and is arranged to deliver a blast of air through an aperture 81 in said wall. This nozzle 3 is also connected to the reservoir 5 by a pipe a which has a valve 8 therein. Other concealed air jets may be arranged in other lo cations without departing from my invention, but in the drawings I have disclosed a sufficient number of locations to illustrate the invention.

As stated above the various valves 8 are manually-controlled. and I propose to so arrange said valves that they may be all con' trolled from a central station which is so arranged that the operator therein may have a complete view of the locations where the air jets are placed, and at the same time be concealed from the view of persons arranged near the jets. WVith such a construction the operator may select an appropriate time for operating any valve and thus delivering an unexpected .air blast from any one of the nozzles.

The valves '8 may have any suitable or usual construction and I have herein shown them each as comprising a port 20 which is opened and closed by a swinging valve 21 that is pivoted to the valve casing at 22, said valve having rigid therewith a handle 23 by which it may be operated.

In the drawings, I have illustrated two ways of operating the valve, but I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to these two ways. As shown in Fig. 2 the stem or handle 23 of the valve has connected thereto a spring 24 which normally tends to keep the valve closed. Said handle'23 also has connected thereto a flexible connection 25 that leads around direction pulleys 26 to a handle or lever 27 situated at the observation point and arranged to be manipulated by the operator.

In Figs. 1 and 4 I have shown an electrical means for operating the valve. In this em-' bodiment the valve handle 23 has connected thereto the spring 24 which tends to keep the valve closed, and said valve handle also has connected thereto a connection 25 which carries at its lower end the armature or core 26 of a magnet 27. The magnet and its armature or core are so arranged that when the magnet is energized the armature will be drawn downwardly thereby opening the valve. As soon as the magnet is denergized, the spring 24 will automatically close the valve. The magnet 27 may be supported in any suitable way and for convenience I may hang the sanie to the pipe l by hangers 31. This same construction for operating each of the valves 8 is shown in Fig. 4. Each magnet is connected to a circuit 30 which leads to a push button or switch 310. The push buttons are preferably grouped together at an observation point where the operator may be concealed and yet have a complete view of the various form of a casing or houisng within which the operator may stand and it has in it the push buttons 310 or the levers 27 for operating the various valves. In Fig. 7 I have illustrated the push buttons 310 although it will be understood that if the valves are operated by the lever arrangement shown in Fig. 2, such levers 27 will be placed in the observation tower. In Fig. 7 I have not attempted to show the valve mechanism for controlling the air jets, but have simply indicated in dotted lines the locations of the concealed nozzles. I/Vith the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 the operator who is concealed in the tower 71 may at any time operate any switch 310 thereby opening any valve 8, and since the opening of each of the valves 8 is entirely under the control of the operator, it is possible to deliver blasts of air from any or all of the nozzles at the most unexpected and, to the persons receiving the blast, most in opportune time.

It is not essential to my invention that the valves for controlling the delivery of air from the different nozzles be all operated manually and by hand as obviously some arrangement for automatically controlling these valves at various intervals might be adopted.

One of the essential features of the present invention is the. means operable from acommon point from which all the air jets may be seen for delivering at will a blast of air from any or all of the concealed air jets, and while I have shown two ways in which this may be accomplished, I do not wish to be limited to these ways or in any way except by the ap pended claims.

Having fully described my invention, What I. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a passageway or floor space where people may pass or congregate, of a plurality of concealed nozzles located in different positions, and means operable from a common point from which the location of all the nozzles may be seen to deliver at will air under pressure from any nozzle.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a passageway or floor space where people may pass or congregate, of a plurality of concealed nozzles situated in different locations, and concealed means operable from a common point from which the location of all the nozzles are visible to deliver at will air under pressure from any nozzle.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a passageway or floor space where people may pass or congregate, of a plurality of concealed nozzles situated in different locations, a pipe connecting each nozzle with a source of air supply under pressure, a valve for each pipe, an electrically-operated device for operating each valve, and means situated at a common point from which the location of all the nozzles may be seen to control said valve-opcrating devices.

4 A device for furnishing amusement comprising a passageway or floor space where people may pass or congregate, a plurality of concealed air ets nozzles located in diflerent positions, an air supply tank, a pipe connecting said tank with each nozzle, a pump for maintaining a supply of compressed air in said tank, a valve in each tank, a magnet sustained by each pipe and adapted to open the valve therein, a spring for closing each valve, a circuit for each magnet, and a switch in each circuit, said switches being located at a common oint from which the location of all the nozz es may be seen.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT l. RIDGWAY.

l/Vitnesses:

MARGARET A. DUNN, LOUIE 0. SMITH. 

